Americas
The US Navy destroyer USS Stout returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia after a record 215 days at sea. A lack of safety, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in frequent port calls prompted its seven-month deployment in the US 2nd, 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. Before arriving in Norfolk, the ship took on fuel and supplies in Rota, Spain, setting the record before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Navy ships are staying at sea longer and avoiding port calls to help prevent personnel from on-shore exposure to the virus. On September 26, the ship reached 208 consecutive days at sea, exceeding the Navy’s known record held by USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS San Jacinto, both of which also reduced port calls because of the pandemic. The USS Stout, an Arleigh Burke Class destroyer, carries Tomahawk missiles, Aegis radar and surface-to-air missiles, antisubmarine rockets, Harpoon missile launchers and a crew of 277.
Reuters says the US government is likely to announce the Foreign Military Sale of Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), the MS-110 reconnaissance pod and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Taiwan on October 16. The MS-110 is based on the legacy DB-110 reconnaissance pod but is lighter and can collect data from Bands 1-7 of the the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum (EMS). Taiwan’s F-16s currently carry the AN/VDS-5 reconnaissance pod.
Middle East & Africa
Weekend US airstrikes on the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Helmond province were consistent with a US-Taliban peace agreement, the Pentagon said on Monday. Targeted airstrikes followed heavy clashes in the suburbs of Lashkar Gah, Helmond’s capital. The Taliban offensive overran security checkpoints and essentially cut off the city of about 200,000. Several attacks were reported across Afghanistan over the weekend, including a Taliban mortar volley which killed five civilians near the city of Kunduz.
Europe
According to Rolls-Royce, the company has have completed testing of the “ground-breaking technology” that will power the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft. The ‘ionBird’ test aircraft will be used to hit speeds of over 300 mph. All the technology has been tested on a full-scale replica of the aircraft’s core, called an ‘ionBird’, including a 500hp electric powertrain powerful enough to set world speed records and a battery with enough energy to supply 250 homes. The firm says that the first flight is planned for later this year and that they are aiming to beat the current all-electric flight world record early next year. Half of the project’s funding is provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK.
Asia-Pacific
Airbus announced that it has been selected by Australia to develop a communications and mission system upgrade for the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) current fleet of seven A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, which are known as KC-30A MRTTs in RAAF service. The scope of the work, which is designed to meet the RAAF’s interoperability needs under the service’s new operational requirements, will mainly cover a retrofit package that will include new and additional communications capabilities and enhanced mission systems, and will bring the aircraft up to the latest enhanced A330 MRTT standard, the company said in a statement.
Bangladesh is set to field the AeroVironment RQ-12B All Environment (AE) Wasp small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS), with a sources sought notification issued by the US Army. The request for information is for a not yet disclosed number of systems for the intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) SUAS, comprising hand-launched air vehicles and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payloads, as well as ground control stations (GCSs) and an initial spares package. AeroVironment characterizes a Wasp AE system as consisting of two air vehicles and a GCS.
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Watch: DEFENSE UPDATES WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP 11th OCT – F-18E/F SUPER HORNET DEPLOYED WITH IRST & MUCH MORE!
